Into the Open Air
by Pitch Pipe Starkid
Summary: (title still up for debate) Attempts to change her fate cause Merida to procure a spell which changes her mother into a Night Fury! The will-o-the-wisps have led Toothless and Hiccup to Dunbroch. Have they been led to their fate?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: How about I try to write a fanfic in two weeks before next semester starts? OK GO.**

What _was _that light?! A glowing ball of blue light hovered mere yards away from the Night Fury. Where had it come from?! Toothless had been hanging out here for weeks and he'd never seen anything like it before! Not anywhere on these islands! But most importantly it was a little ball of light! All that Toothless knew was that he had to have it! In less than a split-second, he pounced on that otherworldly blue light.

But just as it touched his claw, it disappeared. But… where did it go?! Another identical orb of light appeared a little farther away from Hiccup! Toothless jumped again on the next blue light. Then a trail of the funny wispy blue lights appeared, leading from where the Night Fury crouched on the ground all the way up the cliff face that led out of the cove… that was as far as Toothless could see. He needed to follow them! But… his ears drooped as he realized that the quickest way to follow them would be to fly but he wouldn't be able to do that on his own…

He called for Hiccup but the boy wasn't listening. He was unpacking his bag and going on about his day, as usual.

"Toothless, you'll never believe what Gobber made us do at training today."

Toothless called again. _Hiccup._

"He threw _two_ Nadders in the ring today! Can you even _imagine_ Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins trying to fight two dragons?! Y'know, he's never done that before, Toothless. So I used two different tactics on both of them. So I used the dreaded eel for the purple-"

_That's great. Hey, Hiccup. Com'ere a second. I wanna show you something._

"-and some dragon nip from the field over there on the blue. Y'know, Toothless-"

_HICCUP. _Toothless loved the kid's company but he didn't always listen.

"-yeah, sure, bud, be right there," he said, distracted, putting out the Night Fury's fish feast, and pacing about the cove with excitement, "but y'know I'd-I'd just never thought that nip and eels worked on Nadders too!"

_HICCUP! _Toothless toddled over to Hiccup and butted him with his black scaly head.

Scratching the dragon behind the ears, Hiccup continued to ignore Toothless' miniature roars. "At first I thought certain training tactics only worked on certain species of dragon but it turns out I'm wrong! What if it's ehm… OOH! Specific to each region? Or to each island?"

Fed up with the boy's yammering, Toothless smacked him upside the head with his tail.

He let out an "OW!"

_Hiccup! I've been trying to get your attention for the past twenty seconds shaddup and com'ere for a sec CHECK OUT THESE WEIRD BLUE LIGHTS! _Toothless motioned to the trail of wispy floating lights, glad they hadn't disappeared during Hiccup's soliloquy.

The boy _finally_ looked upon the spectacular sight. "Whoa," He whispered, "What are those, bud?" He raced towards one, trying to touch it, but just as the light had done earlier, it disappeared at his touch.

"Whoa!" His eyes followed their trail, further out of the cove and into the open air.

Glad Hiccup had _finally _caught on, Toothless tried to touch the next in the trail, and the next and the next, until he couldn't reach any further. Without even needing to ask, Hiccup had attached Toothless' metal connecting rod for his mechanical tail and had started to attach the saddle.

The kid may not have always listened, but Toothless was starting to like their mutual understanding. Hiccup wanted to know what these lights were and where they led just as much as he did. And Toothless knew the kid was prepared to follow them until they found the special place where the trail ended… Or maybe it didn't end! Maybe it led to a place _full_ of these cool blue lights…

Toothless didn't even mind needing him on his back in order to take off. It was nice change, not doing these adventures alone…

"C'mon, bud," Hiccup whispered, patting the dragon's back, "let's see where these go."

The Night Fury threw his head back, and with a roar of _YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH! ,_ took off into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Stumbling over the rubbish on the floor, Merida fell backward into a corner. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Mum! You're a-"

The creature sitting on its hind legs that used to look like her mother looked at her new pitch black scaly paws in horror. She let out a miniature roar of fright.

Merida could hardly believe it herself either. "-a Night Fury!"

After a minute or two of horrified running about the room on her hind legs and accidentally knocking over furniture with her new wings and tail, and Merida trying to explain, Queen Elinor had realized what Merida had said about a spell. It was almost like her personality had come back full force as she let out a furious snarling roar at her daughter. The natural temper of a dragon was better suited to her fury.

"It's not _my _fault! That witch gave me a bad spell!"

The Queen Night Fury started to let out another roar but Merida rushed over and clapped her mouth shut.

"Shh! We can't let anyone down there hear you! Come on, mum, we uh, need to get you out!"

She shook her head.

"No, Mum, we have to! Dad's known to the other chiefs as the dragon king! He can't know you're here! None of them can! We need to get you up to the roof."

Her mother stood on her hind legs still and spread her wings, demanding that she was the queen and could do whatever she pleased.

"Mum, you can't stay here! If anyone catches you, you'll be killed! We have to find some way to get you out without anyone seeing. That's our best shot at finding the witch and getting her to change you back."

Reluctantly, Elinor agreed. While the triplets distracted Fergus and the others, Merida managed to sneak her mother up to the top of the tallest tower.

Elinor let out of a small cry of what Merida assumed was _Now what?_

"Alright, Mum, we don't have much time. We'll make for the forest. I found a circle of standing stones. From there, the will-o-the-wisps led me to that witch's cottage. Hopefully, we can find it again and she can change you back."

Merida attempted to jump onto her mother's back. Elinor recoiled.

"What? How else did you think we were going to get out of here?"

The queen let out a forlorn cry.

"Quiet, Mum! We have to get out of here before anyone finds us." Merida was able to mount the dragon's back. As Elinor prepared for take-off, Merida realized she had forgotten to ask her something extremely crucial. "Mum, do you even know how to _FLYYYYY?!"_

Before she was even finished, Elinor had tried and failed miserably to get some wind beneath her wings. They were falling fast.

"Up, Mum! Flap your wings!"

_WOOSH!_ For a second, Merida thought they'd been saved but the Queen must have thought _one_ flap of her wings would keep them afloat.

"Keep going, Mum! Keep flapping your wings! Just keep doing it! Just keep going!"

Eventually Elinor got a good enough grasp on the concept of staying aloft that they were able to get a considerable distance from the castle. The ride to the forest did take about twice as long as Merida had anticipated with Elinor still getting used to her wings. Many unexpected dips and dives almost brought up Merida's breakfast. On the bright side, the triplets kept Fergus and the guests at bay long enough for them to get out. Merida had been looking for the circle of stones. Her mother let out a groan of exhaustion.

"We shouldn't be too much further. There weren't any trees around the stones. It was in a sort of clearing. I haven't found it yet but-"

Elinor groaned again and they dropped in elevation.

"ACGH! MUUUUM! Not yet! Just hold on a little longer! Just give me some time to find them!"

The wind rushed against Merida's face and the tree-line approached. Elinor's wings weren't used to this.

"MUM STOP! ACGH! I MEAN DON'T STOP! GLIDE, MUM! _GLIDE!_"

Crashing through the treetops, Elinor's tail and a few branches smacked Merida in the face, until they crashed into a brambly thicket. The force of the impact hit Merida before the realization of the abundance of thorns.

"ACGH! _Mum!_"

Thorns dug into her neck and cheeks as she tried to work her way out. She wished she'd brought her sword. Elinor opened her mouth and let out a roar, shooting a purplish glow of fire which reduced the thorns surrounding her to cinders. For the most part, the scales on her body had protected her from the brambles. Still walking on her hind legs, she motioned one of the front legs as if to tell Merida to stand back and obliterated the brambles with another roar of purplish fire.

As soon as the princess was free from the thicket, she plowed ahead, her mother following ridiculously on two legs.

"The sooner we get to the witch's cottage the better."

Hiccup was not sure if Toothless had been flying for one day or two. Many hours ago, a cloak of fog covered all except the blue lights. He hadn't seen the colors of sunrise or sunset.

A pain shot through Hiccup's stomach. He'd tried to stop a while back but Toothless seemed determined to stay on course, possibly worried that the lights would disappear. Hiccup was sure that by now Toothless was tired. The dragon's wings had been beating against the air for too long. Regardless of the Night Fury's feelings, Hiccup hoped the lights would lead them to land soon. He'd had tunnel vision for the longest time with only Toothless' green eyes cutting through the fog and the blue lights.

Finally, the air around the wispy lights began to clear. The sky, full of more stars than Hiccup had ever seen, had grown dark. Ahead, he could see treetops of species far different from those on Berk.

"Do you think we're still in the Archipelago, bud?"

Toothless shook his head.

"Me neither."

The lights seemed to dance along the tops of the trees for miles until the fog cleared sufficiently and Hiccup could see a clearing up ahead. The wispy lights seemed to drop in altitude as they neared the clearing. As they approached this clearing, Hiccup saw a circle of stones, standing on their own, as if a team of dragons had worked together to place them like that. What else would have been able to lift something taller than his own house? But Hiccup was sure that if there were dragons here, he and Toothless would have come across some by now. He dug his heel into Toothless' side and the Night Fury followed the trail downward into the clearing of standing stones.

Toothless landed smoothly. No more orbs of light were in there path. They had been led here, to this circle. But why? Hiccup stepped towards the center of the circle. Toothless shook his head and backed away into the surrounding woods.

"What's wrong, bud?"

Hiccup heard the breaking of a branch on the opposite side of the clearing. He stepped behind the nearest tall stone and held his breath.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thanks for the favorites, reviews, etc! Also, thanks for your ideas! Feel free to make suggestions. Sometimes I even take those into account. Enjoy!**

"Yes! There it is up ahead!" Merida ran through the trees, her dragon-mother behind her.

When they finally reached the circle, Elinor asked her daughter _Now what?_

"Well, uhm… The wisps just sort of appeared out of thin air and led me to her cottage…" She motioned vaguely in a general direction on the other side of the circle.

_Will-o-the-wisps? Really? Well, do you honestly think they'll turn up again?_

Elinor wasn't really in the mood for Merida's shit. She padded off in the direction Merida had said the "wisps" had been.

"Ugh! _Muuuuum_! Where do you think you're going?!"

At the other side of the circle lay more forest. Elinor could see a path. This must have been the way… Suddenly, a dragon black as night let out a terrible cry and blocked her path.

"Mum!" Merida cried.

This dragon was unmistakable. It had to be the one from the legends, the very same. Its teeth bared, it let out a foul-smelling roar. Elinor backed away in fear. With its wings extended, this Night Fury was surely a horrifying sight.

"You! Leave my mother alone!"

Elinor looked backed to see that Merida had shot an arrow at the beast. Although it dodged with speed, it then abandoned its preoccupation with Elinor and headed towards its new attacker.

_Merida!_

She had to protect her daughter! She flew to her aid, trying to pull the other dragon to the ground. Instead, the feral Night Fury, much stronger than she was, pinned Elinor down and roared an ear-splitting shriek. Elinor tried to push him off but he was too strong! She could see inside that wretched mouth, the flame about to burst forth….

"Toothless, _STOP!_" A human voice cried out.

The Night Fury closed his gigantic mouth and loosened its hold on her. Resigned, the Night Fury stepped off the queen's body. Then, she heard two pairs of footsteps approaching. It must have been Merida and her savior. Only a man of great power could command a Night Fury and live! But the voice had sounded a little lacking in the power department and the footfalls didn't sound very heavy…

Elinor could hear the voice scolding the dragon. **"**_Bad, _Toothless! Let them be!" Merida then ran and tripped into her arms.

"Mum! Are you hurt?"

Elinor used her short dragon arms to draw her daughter in for a hug. _I'm fine, dear. _She attempted to regain her dignity and got on her feet. As she rose to see the scene that unfolded before her between the dragon and her savior, Merida voiced Elinor's exact thoughts.

"What in the world?"

Her savior was a scrawny boy, no older than fourteen! He told off this dragon as if it were his pet! And the two almost had an understanding!

"Toothless what did I tell you about attacking other dragons?"

Somehow Elinor understood the growls the dragon made! _She tried to kill me!_

"You attacked first, Toothless! They were minding their own business!"

_That corkscrew-haired brat attacked me!_

_Brat_?! Elinor ran at the pathetic excuse for a dragon but the boy raised his hands as if to stop both dragons from coming at each other. The Queen of Dunbroch was not about to listen to some _boy_! But as she drew closer, the look in his eyes made her slow. They were so gentle, so calm, as if he didn't fear these beasts at all. Even after she'd attacked his partner in crime, he still wasn't afraid of her. She stared into his eyes in wonder. He took the hand that he had extended towards her and reached for her face. She slowly approached him. For some reason, she wanted to trust this boy.

"Get away from her!" Merida readied her bow with an arrow for this boy.

"Whoa!" He held up his hands as if to surrender. "Hang on a sec. I think I need to explain for a-"

"Nobody touches my mother!"

_Merida, leave him be. I don't think he means any harm._

"Just-just let me explain!"

"Who do you think you are?! Do you know who she is? She is Queen Elinor of Dunbroch!" She inched closer and closer to the boy, lowering her arrow, but appearing more terrifying with every step. As she did so, the large Night Fury growled and glared at her suspiciously. "If you lay a finger on her, she could have you strung up by your ankles in the dungeon! Or on the rack! So don't you _dare_. Touch. My. Mother."

_Don't exaggerate, Merida, I wouldn't-_

"If she won't, then I will! I, Merida, Princess of Dunbroch, demand you tell me who you are and what business you have romping about the woods with that Night Fury?"

The boy didn't seem as frightened as he ought to be. Instead, he stared at her with a sort of wonder, as if he'd never seen anyone so interesting.

"I- uh-" He spluttered.

"Quit lookin' at me like that and say what you have to say!" She commanded, giving him some breathing room.

"My apologies, princess. I, uh, had no intention of harming your uhm…" He glanced sideways at Elinor, "_mother._"

"Show some respect to the Queen of Dunbroch! Long story short, a witch turned my mum into a dragon."

"Huh. Turned into a dragon," the boy mused and said to the dragon, "Well, _that _explains this other Night Fury, doesn't it, bud?"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Princess, my name is Hiccup and this is Toothless. We're from the Isle of Berk."

"Stop playing games with me!"

Embarrassed, the boy shuffled his feet. "Actually, princess, those are our names. Pretty horrible, aren't they?"

The Queen made a mental note of this occasion: once back to herself, she had to remind Merida that a princess never pokes fun at other peoples' names. No matter how ridiculous they actually were.

"Isle of Berk?" Merida asked.

"In the Barbaric Archipelago…? It's, uh, twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death?"

Merida shook her head. "Never heard of it."

Hiccup said to the Night Fury, "We must be pretty far from home, huh, bud?"

She continued, "You're not telling me you flew all that way? What are you doing here?"

"See, we're not exactly sure. Call me crazy, but back on Berk, Toothless and I saw these strange blue lights."

"Will-o-the-wisps! And they led you all the way here?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"What are you doing with that Night Fury?"

"Wait… you've never heard of the Archipelago…"

"Answer my question!"

_A princess is patient, Merida. _Elinor tried to remind her daughter. Then she remembered that her daughter didn't speak dragon.

"I've got it under control, Mum."

"Princess, how do you know about the Night Fury?" Hiccup asked.

"How do I _know_ about him? That beast is a legend! Everyone knows about the Night Fury. Some people call it a legend because he hasn't been back in years but I know the truth! I saw it! I was there when it ripped off and devoured my father's leg!" Merida glowered at the boy's pet. Elinor saw its eyes dilate in fear.

"What? Toothless? He would never-"

"Don't waste your breath." Merida readied another arrow at the dragon. He stood on his hind legs and said _You want a piece of me?_

_ Merida! Stop this! _The queen ordered.

"Princess, stop!" Hiccup stepped in to protect his pet. Merida refocused her target.

_Merida! I forbid it! He saved our lives!_

Slowly, keeping her eyes on the Night Fury, the princess lowered her arrow. "Why didn't you let that thing kill us?"

"Kill you? Toothless really _is_ sweet-"

Elinor heard the dragon whisper to the boy _Sweet? Is that really the best you can do? Sweet…_

"Toothless?" Merida chuckled, "He looked like he had plenty of teeth to me. Enough teeth to rip my Dad's leg clean off!"

"Calm down, there, Princess." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Not when he smiles at you. And if you'd like to see that, you have to gain his trust first."

Merida crossed her arms, turned away, and stuck her nose in the air. "There is no way I am going to gain the trust of the beast that tried to kill my father."

Hiccup rushed around the other side of Merida. "Just give him a chance. He and I got off on the wrong foot, too, didn't we, bud?"  
_That's the understatement of the year, _Elinor heard this "toothless" dragon say.

Hiccup continued, "Listen, princess, where I come from, my people have been at war with dragons for _centuries_ but when he and I were presented with the opportunity to kill each other, we didn't. Instead, he and I learned from our mistakes and decided to… become friends."

Merida eyed him skeptically. Even though Elinor could see the boy getting through to her, she knew her daughter would never give in so easily. "So you're trying to tell me that you and… Toothless here followed a trail of will-o-the-wisps all the way from your barbarian island?"

With an exasperated sigh, Hiccup said "Yes!"

"Some say that the will-o-the-wisps lead you to your fate. They led me to the witch who cursed Mum…"

"…and they led me to you," Hiccup said.

"The Night Fury's supposed to be the only one of its kind…"

"…but then we bump into you guys." His expression changed, his eyes widening into pure excitement. "Maybe this means you should learn to trust Toothless!"

"Oh no! Not _that_ dragon." Her teeth were bared just as fiercely as Toothless'.

"Why else do you think we were brought together? Do you think it's just coincidence that your mother gets turned into a dragon, lights lead me and the only other Night Fury across islands so we could meet? I'm guessing the Queen of Dunbroch wouldn't like to be a dragon forever. Would you, Your Highness?"

_Of course not!_ Elinor said, with a shake of her head.

"If you two are hoping the witch can change you back, then Toothless and I are coming with you."

Without so much as a second thought, Merida quipped, "Absolutely not. Come on, Mum. We can find the witch's cottage on our _own_."

But Elinor didn't want to go alone. If the wisps could lead Merida to acquire that spell and they led this boy all the way here, clearly, something wanted them to be together. And this boy. The way this boy had looked into her dragon eyes with no fear. The way he had managed to become _friends _with that dragon! After centuries of war, he'd said! In the boy's wide green eyes, she saw bravery. He extended his hand and she leaned her head forward and his hand touched her cold scaly skin. He smiled.

"Mum, are you coming? I think I've found the way. Mum?" Merida finally turned around to see what her mother and Hiccup had been up to. "ACGH! Mum! What do you think you're doing?!"

"It looks like your mother doesn't mind having us around."

"_Mum_! I can't believe you!"

_Dear, I think you should to give this boy and his dragon another chance._

The princess groaned. "Fine. I suppose we'll let you come with us to the witch's cottage. But after my Mum's cured, I forbid you and your cursed dragon to come anywhere near Dunbroch ever again."

"I think I speak for my father, the chief of our tribe back on Berk, when I say that anyone who has a thirst for dragon blood would be more than welcome in our village." Hiccup said grimly, "_Personally_, I think if you want Toothless to trust you, you might have to leave that here." He pointed to Merida's bow.

"No!" Merida held the bow high out of Hiccup's reach. "Mum, we're leaving him behind. Go back to your barbarian island. Come on, Mum."

Hiccup gasped and pointed to the sky. "Monstrous Nightmare, get down!" In his strange bean-pole way, he somehow managed to body-slam Merida and slide her bow out of reach. As if on cue, Toothless obliterated Merida's bow to smithereens.

"MAH BOOOOOOOOOOOW!" She rushed to cradle the remains in her arms. Elinor saw the same look that she'd had in her eyes earlier that day when she'd thrown her bow into the fire. Maybe she'd been a little too harsh on the girl. But this boy meant no harm, and neither had she. He and his dragon were probably the only way to change back.

As Merida sat on the earthy floor, tears began to well up in her eyes. The Night Fury must have seen this as act of compassion. She must have, through her vulnerability, gained his trust. And the unholy offspring of lightning and death inched up towards the princess and licked the side of her face with its slobbery pink tongue.

"Ewww!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks, guys! Keep the reviews and subscriptions etc coming and I'll keep the story coming. Have a fantastic day!**

Black scaly wings shielded Hiccup from the rain as fragments of moonbeams seeped down to earth through the trees and played on the stream. He wished the rains on Berk were as mild as these on Dunbroch. He'd wanted to sit in the rain and still wake up dryer than he would at home, but Toothless had insisted upon keeping his friend dry. Hiccup wondered why Toothless hadn't wanted to go inside the witch's cottage. When the boy had asked about it, the dragon had avoided the question. At the sound of footsteps behind him, the Viking turned around. The princess took refuge under Toothless' wing. He growled but Hiccup eased him.

"It's ok, bud. She's a friend." Well, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement, seeing as hours earlier, she'd threatened to kill both him and his best friend, but for the brief time she wanted to sit on a dry bit of earth, they could be friends.

"Thanks." She muttered.

Hiccup was never very good with words. And never very smooth with girls either. Would sympathy be appropriate in this situation? He did feel really sorry for her. No mother deserved to be turned into a dragon. "I'm, uh, really sorry the witch couldn't save your mother."

Merida snapped back, "I'm not giving up. There has to be another way. And tomorrow, Mum and I will find one."

They sat in silence for a minute, letting the quiet patter of the rain suffice for ambiance.

The princess groaned and buried her face in her hands, her wild mane of hair shielding her face from view. "I can't believe I let this happen."

Hiccup didn't understand. "Let this happen? What do you mean? Wouldn't blaming yourself for this be a little harsh?"

"But it's my fault! I asked the witch for a spell to change my Mum, hoping it would change my fate."

He tried to hide is surprise. "Well! _That_ was unexpected."

"Oh come on! Your father is chief of your tribe of lunatics. Don't tell me you've never been frustrated with him. Always telling you what you should be or who you should marry."

With girls it was always about boys, wasn't it? "Marriage, huh? Who would you rather have over the useless bum they picked out for you?"

"I don't know!" She snapped. "My parents, well, more my mum than my dad, want me to forge an alliance with another clan so we can gain territory and end feuds. But… I'm just not ready! I haven't found anyone I want to marry! And who says I have to? When I'm queen, can't I do whatever I want, anyway?"

That was not what Hiccup had expected either. She was about sixteen by the looks of her. He'd always thought at that age, girls, especially princesses, were concerned with boys and marriage. Maybe it was just what their parents wanted for them. In a few years, Hiccup wouldn't be ready to get married either.

The princess asked, "Your parents force you to get married yet?"

"Not just yet. Not quite old enough yet." Though getting a date wasn't low on his list of priorities.

"You have no idea how lucky you are. How old are you?"

Blushing, he answered her. "Well, technically I was born on Leap Day so I'm only a little older than three. _BUT _for all intents and purposes, you could say I'm fourteen." He gave her a moment to erupt into a fit of laughter like everyone else always did, but instead she bit her lip politely. This girl continued to surprise him again and again. "My Dad isn't too happy with me either. I'm a bit of a disappointment to him, as you've probably guessed."

The princess shook her head. "No I just assumed everyone on your barbarian island was just as crazy as you."

He smiled at her. "No. I'm about as crazy as it gets. Well, they're pretty crazy too, although it's their own kind of crazy."

"Try me." The princess listened intently, her eyes wide.

Hiccup told her all about the legends of his father as a baby, popping a dragon's head clean off, banging his head against a rock and splitting it in two. The whole time the princess bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

Turning away to watch the raindrops hit the surface of the water, she said, "I'm pretty sure your people and my people are supposed to be enemies."

"If any of your clans try to attack us, Toothless and I will be ready, won't we bud?" His dragon friend smiled in his strange toothless way. "There! Princess, look! He's smiling!"

He watched her face as she stared at the dragon in wonder. He saw the same curiosity in her blue eyes that he'd had when first met Toothless. He took her hand, her skin much rougher than he'd expected, and extended her arm towards Toothless.

Eyeing him warily, she whispered, "Hiccup, what are you doing?"

"Trust me." He whispered.

And Toothless leaned his head forward. Hiccup let go of Merida's hand quickly, worried she'd put a price on his head if he touched her a moment longer.

"There. See?"

The brave princess started scratching the dragon behind the ears. "Aw! He's nothing but a wee teddy-bear!"

"He really is. And so is your Mother. She seems sweet." Now that she'd gained Toothless' trust, even if Hiccup proceeded with what he was about to say, she wouldn't shoot him right away. "And very protective. Even if the two of you might not see eye-to-eye all the time, you can see she really cares about you."

She shrugged. "I suppose so. But what do you know? You're only a wee baby of three!" She poked him in the chest.

"I know that you only ever get one mother and once she's gone, she's gone. Helping find a way to change her back might help you two establish a better relationship."

"Why? What happened to your mum?"

"She's gone." Hiccup didn't like to think about it.

After only the rain to fill the silence, the princess replied, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

"No it's not. I'm really sorry. That was rude." The princess scooted next to him and leaned up against his bony body. "You're not as comfortable as I expected you to be!"

Yet he must have been comfortable enough. A while later, the Viking asked, "Princess, are you sure you don't want a pillow?" There was no response. "Princess?" Her breath was slow and rhythmic. Careful not to wake her, he laid her down on his lap, getting his fingers tangled in her corkscrew orange hair.


End file.
